Rangers get four goals in second, top Canucks for fifth win in six games

VANCOUVER -- Glenn Gawdin scored his first two NHL goals as part of a four-goal second period for the New York Rangers, who defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-1 at Rogers Arena on Friday.

Gawdin, who is from nearby Richmond, British Columbia, was playing in his 15th NHL game since making his debut in 2020-21. It was the 29-year-old forward’s second game with New York after being called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Wednesday, and it came with “10-12” family and friends watching in the stands.

“There’s a lot that goes through your mind over the years and credit to the circle around me, credit to my wife, they push me when I need it,” Gawdin said. “The success tonight, I think they have an equal part in that, so it was a special night.”

Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault each had a goal and an assist, and J.T. Miller had two assists for the Rangers (12-8-1), who went 3-1-0 on a four-game road trip and have won five of their past six (5-1-0). Dylan Garand made 27 saves.

“It's a great trip,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Obviously, when you can take three out of four out here, we're going into some pretty tough buildings with the travel, it's a big challenge, and I thought our guys competed hard. We played hard. It's not perfect out there, but I really like how this group competes.”

Garand, who is from nearby Victoria on Vancouver Island and played junior in Kamloops, about 200 miles northeast of Vancouver, and had an estimated 50 family and friends in attendance.

“It's pretty special,” Garand said. “I haven't played here since I was 19 and my whole pro career, a lot of people that support me have never seen me play, so for them to come down and watch me play tonight, and great for us to deliver a big win, it was a cool night for sure."

Elias Pettersson scored, and Leevi Merilainen made 25 saves for the Canucks (3-17-1) who have lost seven in a row (0-7-0) and are 1-16-1 in their past 18 games.

“We keep talking about the same things, that we’ve got to do for 60 minutes,” Pettersson said. “We started good this game, and we’ve got to follow up in the second period with a good one, and we didn't.”

Brock Boeser had an assist to reach 500 career points (233 goals, 267 assists) in his 650th game, becoming the eighth player to hit the milestone for Vancouver.

“Definitely a cool achievement,” Boeser said. “It doesn't stop there. Got to keep going, continue to be a leader.”

Pettersson put the Canucks ahead 1-0 at 12:13 of the first period by deflecting a Zeev Buium point shot down under the extended glove of Garand from the top of the crease.

It was Pettersson’s fifth goal of the season, but his first 5-on-5 goal since Jan. 13, ending a 56-game drought.

Perreault tied it 1-1 at 18:47. Miller chipped the puck out of a corner battle with Pettersson and Buium to Lafreniere behind the net. He then passed out to Perreault at the bottom of the right face-off circle for a wrist shot just under the crossbar and inside the post by the ear of Merilainen.

Sullivan cited Miller’s battle as part of the elevated intensity that turned the game.

“That's a perfect example, right? He wins a puck battle, it's a one against two, actually, and he wins the puck, gives it to ‘Laf’ behind the net, Laf makes a nice play to Gabe, and it's a (heck) of a goal,” Sullivan said. “So, for us to get to get out of the first period 1-1, that was a big goal for us. It gave us an opportunity to gather ourselves and go out in the second period and try to build on it.”

Oliver Bjorkstrand put the Rangers ahead 2-1 on the power play at 8:21 of the second period, collecting a cross-ice pass from Miller at the top left hash mark for a wrist shot under the blocker arm of Merilainen.

Gawdin scored his first NHL goal at 13:00 to make it 3-1 after Merilainen’s clearing attempt from the top of his crease bounced off Filip Chytil to Gawdin for a quick blocker side shot.

Lafreniere extended it to 4-1 at 15:14, finishing off a 3-on-2 passing play after a Vancouver turnover at the New York blue line by taking a backdoor pass and cutting across the crease around a sprawled Merilainen before tucking it in on the backhand.

“I think the story of the second was just our unwillingness or inability to stick to the script,” Canucks coach Manny Malhotra said. “Our first period was probably the best we've looked in a long time, just in terms of everything structurally -- created a lot of chances, scored a great O-zone sequence goal, didn't spend a ton of time in D-zone. … In the second period, it was just a string of turnover after turnover after turnover that feeds transition and doesn't allow us to do the things that make us competitive.”  

Gawdin added his second goal to make it 5-1 at 16:10 after Vladislav Gavrikov’s point shot deflected in off his skate from the right edge of the crease.

“You just got to get lucky sometimes,” Gawdin said. “That was a fortunate bounce on the first one, and then the second one, went to the net and usually good things happen, and yeah, off my foot and in.”

NOTES: Gawdin became the third-oldest Rangers player at the time of his first NHL goal, following Alex Gray (30 years, 154 days on Nov. 22, 1927) and Bill Cook (30 years, 38 days on Nov. 16, 1926). … Boeser has a six-game point streak (three goals, three assists). … Chytil, who missed the previous five games with a shoulder injury, was minus-2 with two shots on goal in 17:14 of ice time in his return. … Vancouver defenseman Tom Willander had three shots on goal in 17:04 in his return after missing four games with a lower-body injury. … Defenseman Cameron Crotty played 12:18 in his Canucks debut after being claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.